It is okay if you don't have a stash...
 

I have recently read many threads about people who are overwhelmed by their stash or others who feel they must invest in huge amounts of fabric to build a stash. Building a stash is not a requirement for quilting. Some people love having a stash and find it incredibly great for their quilting but for others it is an obstacle or headache and spend forever trying to store, rearrange, sell and donate fabric or try to use it up.

I started building a stash with leftovers and found that having that much stuff just made me nervous. I am currently using up all that fabric (and it isn't even all that much) on scrap quilts and have decided to just buy what I need for each quilt. I always buy a bit more than I need just in case I mess up... And when that pile starts to build, I will make a quick scrappy quilt.

Remember to do what works for you. Just a different point of view.

I went to a garage sale years ago and saw tables piled high - 3 foot high or higher - with double knit fabric. The entire garage was full of double knit fabric. Don't know what the inside of the house looked like or if it had a basement. But, I did hear the "lady" having the garage sale say to a customer or acquaintance: Daddy let Mother buy all of this fabric because it made her so happy.

I agree you don't have to have a stash! However I do, it seems I just can't pass up a great deal. Most of my stash comes from sales, very little of it I paid full price for. With the price of fabric going up so much I figured it as an investment - course that only works if I use it! Luckily I made good choices and both my mom and I are able to pull our backs and most of the time 75% for our fronts from it. That said it is a lot of work, investment not only of time but also $. Kind of wish I just bought for each quilt as I go along

It is definitely ok to not have a stash. I have a small stash and it takes up way more room then I'm comfortable with. And it does keep me from buying more fabric. 1, I don't have anymore room to store it, 2, I don't NEED it, 3, and sometimes, it does keep me from creating. (Sometimes, just too many choices.) And, the worst, what I loved before, I don't love all of it now. My tastes have changed. But, I am not made of money so I will find a way to use it. And, I will probably fall back in love with it by the time I'm done. lol (Or, at least I hope so.)

I have cleared out my stash twice before donating my unwanted fabrics and scraps to charity. And, I have only been sorry to have given up just a few pieces that I probably can use now. But, that's ok. I just think about all the good that the charity's are doing for other people and move on from that thought.

Do what your comfortable with. And enjoy your the time you do spend creating. :)

I was trying to build a stash, but then most of the people I make quilts for have special color or pattern requests. Seems I have to buy, anyway. Also, I used to crochet and designed many of my own patterns and for a magazine. The arthritis in my hands makes it hard to do much crocheting anymore, but I have a large stash of yarn and thread. I think I had almost every color that Red Heart made. I've started giving some away, and some I'm trying to use up with a little crocheting here and there. If I had a large stash of fabric, I could end up in the same predicament with that. I think I'll start doing what "hopetoquilt" is doing. Just buy a little more of what I need, save the leftovers and then make a nice scrappy. I do like to buy remnants, tho. Makes me feel so thrifty! (lol)

You are absolutely right. I have a healthy amount of fabric but am trying to be reasonable about what I really need. We are hoping to downsize to a life between two smaller places in the coming years so this is an incentive to not go fabric crazy.

I have a large stash, which I consider to be both ours, but DH doesn't see it the same. Anyway, he is making his 1st quilt and says he doesn't want a stash, he only wants fabric for what he is working on. We love doing things together but we have different ways of doing some things. It works for us. So if you choose to have a large or no stash, it's personal choice. So do whatever you choose, it's your space, to do whatever works best for you. (DH has COD and I think that adds to he's not wanting a stash. He doesn't deal well with clutter)
Country1

Thank you for posting about this topic. I have a very limited budget when it comes to fabric. I have a small stash and it works for me. I have made some great quilts and plan to make more. I am quite shocked when I see the amount of fabric some people have. I suppose it's what you are comfortable with, personally I'd rather keep the stash down and use up what I have before getting more.

Thank you for starting this. It's really important to find what works for you. I do art quilts that require a little piece of this and a little piece of that. And it's a minimum of 1/2 hr drive to a traditional quilt store. Making an art quilt requires a lot of auditioning. Most of my stash is 1/2 yd or less. So I'm glad to have my stash. And even though I'd not even come close to the winning of the competition (He who dies with the most-wins), it is pretty extensive.

No stash to speak of here either. I buy for each project. I'm not into scrappy. I do overbuy for each project so I have room for error (or sometimes I just miscalculate by a bunch!). If I need to do a block for a hug or a swap I can usually manage that out of what I have left over. Otherwise, I use up my scraps on some other, non-quilting project. I just don't have the room to accumulate lots of fabric. And I know, with respect to other aspects of my life, my tastes change over time so I'd look at a fabric down the road and it would fall into that 'what was I thinking' category!

It is okay to have a stash, but I too am starting to feel that I have way too much. I am trying to edit and use what I have before buying more. I have not been too successful in using much, but I have a lot to use too.
Debbie

I don't have much of a stash either. I usually buy as I go but have a little bit. I do a lot of charity quilts and I love to crochet. I don't keep a stash of yarn on hand either. Wish I did!! When I run out of fabric (I don't have a a lot of scraps) I go to crocheting. But used up most everything I had for hats, scarves and afghans. It's been a joy to do what I do. I will cut up bags and old sheets to crochet. I love using old jeans and clothes for quilting. I usually go to family for there good old jeans. I've just about at that point again. I've used up almost everything I have. But I did get some fabric in from a board member. Plus have some fabric for a certain quilt. I have the room just not the dollars. :)

I agree, I buy what I need, and most people never end up using the stash they spent all that money on and it gets sold at estate sales. I intend to use what I buy. I have a tub and a half, enough projects for a few years, and I think I have too much honestly.

I'd say that's it a one sentence. I don't collect knit fabric but the new quilt fabrics are gorgeous and I can't pass them up. My husband is always asking when I intend to use it all and the poor man is right because when Mom died (1995) I inherited her stash too, so my stash is large but I do what others do and make scrap quilts for babies and seniors at church. Then I ass to my stash again.:D

I do not have a big stash at all and I intend to use it as I go along. I have been quilting for 6 or 7 years, on and off. I made one big quilt, I am handquilting my second one which is a lap quilt size and I just finished piecing my third one which is a large one, using leftovers and small pieces of fabrics I bought when I took a quilting class.
I haven't bought fabrics for the last 2 years except to make the borders of the last quilt . That's just the way I was brought up, "do something with what you have"... and I really feel better that way.
I read how some quilters get overwhelmed with bins of scraps and pieces of fabrics they own. I would be paralyzed by it. That's just me and I want to enjoy it, not get controlled by my fabrics. It forces me to get creative I guess!

I'll be glad when mine is gone, I wish I'd never started stashing! But of course I never turn down free fabric. Its a love/hate relationship. I love having it when i need it, but I hate keeping it stored, takes up too much valuable space.

I buy for each project and have leftovers that I have no idea what to do with. I can't imagine having a stash. I know it would sit and I would just look at it still wondering what am I going to do with that!

I don't have a big stash either, and it's mostly left overs from finished projects or fabric bought for specific future projects. I love having SOME stash so I can always have something to work on. In a month when car or home repairs take my spending money, I can still go to my stash and put something together. It keeps me sane.

I am a stash quilter.. when the bug hits me to sew/quilt , I just want to get started, and not fuss about finding supplies. I know many quilters that are project quilters. They plan their projects, purchase supplies , sew/quilt and then repeat. Do what works for you and always feel like you can change as it suits you.

I do not buy material just to have a stash. Most of my stash is what is leftover from a project. I would just love to buy something if I see it but have to watch my budget close. It is amazing how some people have sooo much fabric in their possession and will never use it. To me that is wasteful. I guess alot depends on the type of quilting you do too. My hubby is very supportive of my quilting and often suggests when we go somewher to pick up some fabric. I have a hard time doing this. I feel that when I do have a project and need something he know I don't go overboard. You have to do what you feel is best for you.

I really agree, what ever works for you is the best!!! There are truly no rules!!!!

As for the "she who dies with the most fabric wins" idea....well, she's already won. I was at the Houston show several years ago and one booth had a quilt shop literally full of material ALL of it from one estate. It was hard to believe that all that material came from one house, and it was yardage, not pieces.
No, you don't have to have a stash, but the slot is open for the next stasher.

It's a matter of personal choice, I think. I have a fairly modest stash, but I use things there frequently. Most of the time, I buy fabrics I see that I love - things that would be the focal point of a quilt, but that I don't have a specific use or reason for at the time. I learned a long time ago that for me, at least, it's best to buy those fabrics that grab your attention when you find them, because when you decide you want it in the future, it is unlikely to still be available. My mother, on the other hand, buys fabric for each project, but nothing for a "stash" per se.

Neither way is wrong. It's all a matter of what works for your specific situation, financial constraint, or creative process. :o

It is all about personal preference. I am lucky to have about five tubs of fabric and a large bag of scraps that I am in the process of cutting into squares , strips etc. I have however put myself on a fabric buying ban. I have enough fabric to keep me going for a good few years. On monday I cut up a huge box of jeans to make two good size denim quilts. I have a big pile of shirts that I have cut apart and they need cutting into squares , strips etc. I have started making kits up for the quilts I want to make from my stash. It is more satisfying than going to the shop to buy more fabric.

I know everyone is different, and I don't have a ridiculous amount of stash, but I am beginning to be overwhelmed by it. I found that in the last 4 years of quilting, my tastes have changed and I no longer care for some of the ones I really liked before. On the other hand, I have a couple of lines that I still REALLY love and I'm so glad I snapped them up while I could. I have been trying to use up what I have so that I have a little less to think about.

Personally, I think it is nuts to think you have to buy fabric and have a stash. Most of us have left over fabrics, particularly those who make their own designs. I suppose if you only use patterns you can buy EXACTLY what you need, but that has drawbacks also. I have two plastic drawer sets with smaller fabric pieces sorted by color and I use them all the time for accents or medium or small design elements (no way would I cut them into squares... I need them in too many shapes)! My one cupboard 8'x4'x20" is a little more than half full of yards of fabric. Sometimes I buy fabric that is sooo beautiful and know I'll find a use for it. Often I buy more than enough for a single quilt so that I can use the fabric pieces in another quilt also. I do a lot of applique and that uses up a lot of my stash. I never have gone out and bought fabric just so I can have a stash. Stash happens; if you have to shop for it you are going to end up with too much and the wrong colors.

If you are new to quilting, don't buy to have it on hand; buy because the fabric calls to you, reminds you of your brother or grandchild, or..... because you absolutely love it. A quilting friend gave me some panels of a fabric which is the most beautiful that I've ever seen. I immediately used it and then realized it would also be perfect for another friend who is a part of our extended family, so I bought several yards before it became hard to get.

Having rows and rows of shelves with fabrics is something I couldn't handle. I've only been quilting for 10 years and there are some fabrics that I bought for kiddie quilts (I have 13 grandchildren) and other fabrics that I don't really like anymore, and have very little use for now and find myself doing church drive quilts for children and older people. Tastes evolve. Stash happens. Don't work at it, let it evolve and try to keep some control over your buying impulses.

I don'thave a stash either, just small pieces. I also have a limited bugjet and only buy what I need. but some day hope to start building maybe a tiny stash.

I am with this one.
Right now I have the space for stash and I have some. I buy a lot from other quilters selling off scraps or stash. It is the only way I can afford to quilt right now so I am grateful for the stash.
If it cramps your house, makes you unhappy or you do not have the money for it then it is not the right thing. Else enjoy!

I do have a big stash and sometimes stash management can become a problem. About eight years ago, I stopped buying fabric "on speculation", buying fabric only to finish a quilt. However, I got forced into an early retirement three years ago and my husband lost his job this week. Even buying thread is hard now. I would not be able to quilt if I did not already have that stash. The way I figure it, I probably have at least another twenty years to sew and by then, the stash should be all used up.

I do quilt a lot; I have finished four charity adult size quilts in the past week or so, and have two more that probably will be finished this week. Then I make my own quilts! My first pattern is all ready to go.

I'm sorry to hear about your DH, cricket. It must be very scary for you both.

I do have a stash of fabrics and I love having it. When matching fabrics for a matchy, matchy quilt it is great to find the right fabric to go with others. Now I am in the process of trying to use as I can. I make anywhere from 16 to 18 quilts a year, while working full time and doing my home chores. I love making quilts and that is what I do. I don't want to have to run out and buy fabrics.

You are prehaps the smarter by doing this, if things laying around bothers you. I am beginning to think like this also.So now I dont buy, I must use from stash and finish a project befor starting another one.And in this I find more peace for myself in my quilting. So to each her own.

Through quilting I've evolved from a "project oriented" approach to a "love the process" approach. Right now I'm working on a challenge at the guild. I'm randomly cutting and sewing curvacious strips together. I'm definitely enjoying myself. A friend is here for the week and she's working on an art quilt also. We critique each others and sew on each others and laugh and just enjoy the time together. No quilting store sorees. I do have to take a break for PT tomorrow. Since I have the stash, I make do with what I have. "Necessity is the mother of invention" and making due with what I have makes me more creative.

I think I need to find that "Quilters Will" though and make sure it's attached to my will.

you go girl, I'm just the other way. I love fabric, buy it every week and have it stocked piled. I'm planning on retiring next year and once on ss there isn't going to be money for fabric. My att phone bill has gone up $2.00 each month for the last 3 months, one of our local power co sent letters to their customers the rate is going up 25% and everyone has been to the grocery store, right? Gas here is south Mississippi is $3.589 a gallon.

I agree that this is a very personal choice. When other quilters are talking, the question of "how big is your stash?" usually comes up. Since I am a scrapbooker as well, I quickly realized that buying 12 x 12 scrap paper for my "paper stash" was more easily managed than buying fabric everytime I saw something I liked. A very dear friend gave my sister and I a lot of Civil War fabric and we immediately put it to use, so that stash has dwindled quickly. This gift of fabric fueled our creative juices and as a result many beautiful projects were completed. I don't have a lot of storage and disorganized "stuff" makes me nervous so I try to make an effort to buy only what I need for specific quilt projects.

I frequently sort through and give away fabric to the Thrift Store that I don't think I will use and no one to pass it too. This way, somewhere - someday, another quilter will get so excited that she found fabric at the Thrift store for her/his stash and that person will be very happy!!! Pay it forward!

It's a personal thing... I stock up on fabrics I love during sales especially and sometimes I'll splurge at full price. Some I have a plan for, others I don't. I live in a rural area so my stash contains a lot of basics like backgrounds and blender fabrics. Is it more than than I need... yes. But I consider it an investment. If my tastes change I'll cut it up and make scrappy quilts or use it for backings. There are worse vices than fabric!

With me I did not start out ''gathering''a stash -it just happened. Fabric sales always led to more fabrics grabbing me begging to be adopted. So I adopted them. Now it takes 2 trips of double stacked totes in an extended bed pick-up truck to move all of it. So I've almost got myself convinced to start sorting and thinning it down to a more manageable amount. I've never held a yard sale but once the weather breaks I will be having one.And there will be lots of yardage on the tables looking for new homes. It won't be easy to part with but I will never live long enough to use it all. My brother says I should open my own Hancock's franchise. He's such a funny man----

I have a small stash compared to what I have seen here - I keep mine in shoe box size containers (plastic) mostly by color - if I can't fit the lid on the box, it is time to make something from it. I happen to LOVE scrappy and very seldom buy fabric (for several years) to make a specific quilt - I only buy for borders and backs and that is only if I don't have something that will work - have been known to piece my backs to use up more scraps. I agree that there is only so much room and money and I would rather have the room than the stash - it is time to go through mine and make some contributions to some charity groups.

Gosh that sounds so cheap to me! It's been well over four bucks a gallon for awhile here in CA. But then again, everything is hideously expensive here!!

I'm a stasher, for sure - I get pleasure out of going through it periodically and I find it to be inspiring as well. I don't stash JUST to stash, I use it all eventually.

We all fall in a spectrum between "fabric collector" and "exact yardage only, please!" and nobody should feel obligated to be anything other than what fits their life - their taste, their budget, their space...

If I had more space, I'd definitely have a bigger stash though, I must admit. I yearn for space to keep rolls of batting, for example...and so many gorgeous batiks in this world.... Of course I also yearn to be independently wealthy so I could spend all day playing in my fantasy quilting room, with my fantasy stash...where needles never get dull and thread never breaks and points are never lost... ;)

I've quilted for thirty years. I had no intention of building a stash: it just happened!!! I cannot believe the amount of fabric, notions, etc. and at this point I cannot even remember when where or why I bought some of these things. I have made a few almost legendary scrap quilts though!!